Ruth

Well, I went to Kota Kinabalu 2 weeks back, and had a damn good experience and a darn good time. Me and 4 others set off on Sunday, and came back on Friday. The goal- Conquer Mount Kinabalu. To be honest, when the idea was suggested to climb it, I did not think it was a big deal, as I did not think it was a very famous mountain. So not famous = easy task? I was so wrong.
We set off for the climb on Monday. Eventhough I thought it should be an okay climb, I was training, and so, the 1st day climbing up about 6km was ok for me. But then again, we did take a lot of breaks. Practically every sheltered area (called 'Pondok'), we rested, and ate and drank. After hiking up for about 6km, we came to our lodge, where we would spend the night with dinner provided, before waking up to set off at 2.30am for the climb to the peak.
I realised it is warmer to just keep moving, but because of the picture moment opportunities, I had to endure the freezing cold winds to keep still and smile myself silly. But it was worth it in the end. The view was breathtaking, and to know you are standing on top a mountain, just gives you that feeling of achievement and accomplishment. A contented fuzzy feeling that just makes you feel good all round.
Little did I know that it was time for the hardest and most difficult challenge- getting down the mountain. Sure, seems easy in theory AND practical. I mean, would you prefer to climb up or down the stairs given the choice? Of course 99.9% of us would choose down (Just like dettol killing germs). It is a given. But going down the mountain was different. Of course coming down was faster, but by the time I reached the bottom, my knees were screaming in pain, cos the cartiledge in my knees could not take the pounding. It did not help that it rained when we were coming down, so there was the added fear that we would slip, fall, and roll to our deaths (or fear getting a broken ankle, which feels like death!). We waited for a van to take us back, and the pain grew and I found myself unable to kneel. Not that it was too painful, but my legs just refused to bend to that extent. I feared getting up the next day, as I was not sure if my legs would be able to move when I woke, but when I did wake up, my legs were actually feeling better.
Thank goodness we had no plans on that day. Just rest and relaxation. It was a Wednesday, and lo and behold, it was Movie day! Movies going for like RM$5! It was such a good deal, and being Singaporeans, we had to take advantage! So we watched 'GI Joe' and 'The Proposal'. 2 movies in a day. I'm not going into details of the movies, but I will just say that 'The Proposal' was funny, 'GI Joe' only had action to offer.
The next day we set off for White Water Rafting- level 3 and level 4. Water was muddy, but apart from that, it was fun. Was scary when the bus was trying to go up the mountain and stalled, and started moving backwards, but we arrived safely at our destination. Took an old train to the mountain which passed by villages and kampongs. It was an experience to see and take in all this.
So overall, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, and I actually hope to do more of this in future. But I have stopped exercising since the trip and need to get in shape again. Anyway, I shall sign off here with a sign, and a question- what do you think this means?